"This is a very difficult mission," she said. "The fact that so many nations are participating ... it also indicates that there is no method of calculation that's functioning" very well.

Asked if more sophisticated satellites could be used in the area, she said she was not sure.

"I'm not going to go in to what we do have or what we don't have," she said when asked about American capabilities. "You have to understand that American intelligence doesn't gear itself to be ready for plane crashes."